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So I've held out on pre-ordering this thing because there was no eta on Linux support. Now they bring it but they shun any distro not based off Ubuntu. Is it going to be one of those issues where they don't allow repackaging or anything? I know Ubuntu is popular but only targeting one distro would be like building a Windows app that only installs on Windows XP unless you repackage it.

It feels like companies understand that there is a market for Linux but they don't understand Linux and just throw shit against a wall hoping it sticks and makes people happy.

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just throw shit against a wall hoping it sticks and makes people happy.

Well targeting hundreds of different distros is not an easy task, at least they support linux, better something than nothing. Thats what I like about ubuntu, commercial companies are now taking some linux consideration

Anyway, I think what they mean by targeting ubuntu 12.04 is at the libraries level. If it is supported by ubuntu then it should also work on debian and other derivatives of it if the library versions are compatible. Thats how steam started, and now it has been repackaged for other distros. Liked or not Ubuntu has become the platform of choice for companies to deliver.

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Hmmmm..... would you think this thing would freak-out and not work if say one of your hands had a single or multiple digit amputation? Something tells me it would.......

That would imply that the leaps needs to detect your entire hand for positioning. This is not the case. In fact, you can point with things other than your hand like chopsticks or any number of fingers.

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So I've held out on pre-ordering this thing because there was no eta on Linux support. Now they bring it but they shun any distro not based off Ubuntu. Is it going to be one of those issues where they don't allow repackaging or anything? I know Ubuntu is popular but only targeting one distro would be like building a Windows app that only installs on Windows XP unless you repackage it.

It feels like companies understand that there is a market for Linux but they don't understand Linux and just throw shit against a wall hoping it sticks and makes people happy.

I think companies understand the Linux market quite well - they know (and have the figures to prove it) that Ubuntu has the market share lead, so it makes sense to support that first. You can 100% guarantee that as soon as the leap motion software is unpacked, a dozen different folks will start working on Debian, Arch, Mint and other distros to see if it works there too.

Support is a tough area for a lot of companies - Linux is so diverse, it's pretty much impossible to claim universal support unless your code is part of the Linux kernel, and even then there will be edge cases. Cut them some slack - the product isn't even out yet.

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Well targeting hundreds of different distros is not an easy task, at least they support linux, better something than nothing. Thats what I like about ubuntu, commercial companies are now taking some linux consideration

Anyway, I think what they mean by targeting ubuntu 12.04 is at the libraries level. If it is supported by ubuntu then it should also work on debian and other derivatives of it if the library versions are compatible. Thats how steam started, and now it has been repackaged for other distros. Liked or not Ubuntu has become the platform of choice for companies to deliver.

You know there are projects out there to help installers work across any distro. Look at the humble bundle games. Most of those just use shell scripts for the install and leaves it up to you to install the missing shared libraries. If you're going to make an SDK for a developer then you should be able to expect they are smart enough to install missing dependencies anyways.

I'm happy they are finally paying attention to Ubuntu. My issue with that is what happens to the rest of the Linux community in time. We've already been seeing all the changes that Conical has been making, and in return pissing off their own contributors who then leave. Is there going to be a time when Ubuntu turns into a completely unique OS and then we end up with Windows, Mac, Ubuntu, and Linux? What then, the Linux support we so asked for goes out the window because uninformed people think that Linux is Ubuntu, not that Ubuntu is a flavor of Linux.

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I think it's nice such an advanced technology is coming to linux. I'm not sure where it'll really be useful since most linux programs aren't multi-input or gesture ready but I'm sure it might spark some innovation. Knowing the linux community, I'm sure something pretty interesting will come out of this.

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I'm not sure where it'll really be useful since most linux programs aren't multi-input or gesture ready but I'm sure it might spark some innovation. Knowing the linux community, I'm sure something pretty interesting will come out of this.

That's what I'm wondering. I guess it's nothing specific to linux — how is such a device best used? Wait and see..